Electrical ignition for smudge pots



May 6, 1924. 1,493,070

J. M. EVANS ET AL ELECTRICAL IGNITION FOR SMUDGE POTS Filed April 171922 INI 531mm A TTORNEY Patented'May 6, 1924 UNITED STATES 1,493,070"PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES M. EVANS, OF GER-ES, AND HUGO MCKINLEY, OF MODES'IJO, CALIFORNIA.

ELECTRICAL IGNITION FOR SMUDGE POTS.

Application fil ed Apri1'17, 1922. Serial No. 554,170.

To all whom it may concern. I Be it known that we, JAMEs Evans, residingat Ceres, county of Stanislaus, State of California, and HUGO MOKINLEY,residing at Modesto, county of Stanislaus, State of California, bothcitizens of the United States, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Electrical Ignition for Smudge Pots; and we do declarethe following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same,reference being' had to the accompanying drawings, and to the charactersof reference marked thereon, which form a part of this application.

This invention relates to improvements in means for igniting thecontents of smudgepots such as are used, usually in deciduous fruitorchards, to minimize as much as possible the harmful effects of frostby raising the surrounding temperature when the frost is in the air.

As far as we are aware, these smudge-pots, which are placed at intervalsthroughout the orchard, must at present be individually lit, whicheither takes a number of men to cover all the ground within a reasonabletime, or if one man only has to light all the pots, it will be acomparatively long time between lighting the first and last pots. Ineither case, the operators are called upon not only to get up very earlyin the morning, when the frost is heaviest, to do this work, but must atall times keep a close watch on the temperature outside, and be ready tolight the pots at any time.

The principal object of our invention is to avoid and eliminate theabove named inconvenient, wasteful and ineflicient methods by providingelectrical means for igniting the contents of the smudge pots, andfurther providing means for automatically causing this ignition to takeplace when a certain and predetermined low temperature has been reached.

The operator then need only fill the pots with the combustible material,and leave the premises without further care, knowing that should thenecessity arise the pots will be ignited at the proper time.

We have also arranged a system in con nection with the pot-ignitingmeans so that while their ignition is controlled from a single point,all the pots will be ignited simultaneously.

A further object of the invention is to produce a simple and inexpensivedevice and yet one which will be exceedingly efl'ective for the purposesfor which it is designed.

- These objects we accomplish by means of such structure and relativearrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the followingspecification and claims.

In the drawings similar characters of reference indicate correspondingparts in the several views.

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary section of aform of smudge-pot, showing onestyle of ignition means mounted therewith.

Fig. 2 is a diagram of the preferred form of circuit employed.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on thedrawings, the numeral 1 denotes a smudge-pot of any character, adaptedto be filled with crude oil 2 or some other combustible material.

Resting on the upperedges of the pot, and preferably independent thereofis a support 3, a part 4 of which at leastis of an insulating and heatresisting material such as' porcelain. r 1

Depending into the oilfrom the member 4 is ahe'ating element "5, such asa coilof wire, which is preferably wound on a protecting tube 6. On themember a are binding posts 7 to which the leads of the element areconnected. i Y

The above described is a simple and-eflicient form of ignition device,but it is'evident that it may be arranged in a number of different waysto give the same results.

In connecting the elements in an electric circuit we preferably arrangethem in multiple series in leads 8 and 9 taken from the main power lines10 and 11. there being to conform to existing regulations, a' mainswitch 12 therebetween, normally closed.

In the leads 10 and 11, ahead'of the pots is an automatic switch 13,normally open, of a type which maybe purchased in the market.

To operate this switch we provide a thermostat switch 14L, also of astandard type, the leads 15 from which are connected to the lines 10 and11 ahead of the switch, and in which is interposed the closing-coil 16of the switch 13. This thermostat switch is regulated or set to closeand energize the 0011 16, whereby to close the switch 13, when apredetermined low temperature has been reached, thus allowing a currentto flow through the lines 10 and 11, and through the elements 5,-caus-ing the ignition 01: the oil "in all the smudge potssimultaneously.

In order to cause the switch to be opened as soon as the oil is ignited,so as to save ourrent,"the thermostat device is mounted above one of thepots within range of. the heat .produced by its burning contents, sothat the thermostat switch will be automatically opened, breaking thecircuit through the lines 15 and causing the deenergizingof the coil 16.

The total number of pot-elements may be wired in a plurality of circuitsallconne'cted with the main lines, each such circuit then having its ownautomatic switch, and thermostat control means for said switch.

From the foregoing description it'will be readily seen that we, haveproduced such a device as substantially fulfillsvtheobjects of theinvention as set forth herein.

While this specificationsets forth'in detail the present and preferredconstruction of the device, still in'practice such deviations from suchdetail maybe'resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit ofthe invention, as defined by the appended means forautomaticallyclosingthe circuit when the air around the pots-reaches -a predeterminedlow temperatur and for again i-tures.

opening thecircuit when'the temperature is raised by the burning of thecontents of the pot.

2. An electrical igniting means for the contents of a smudge potconsisting of a heating element. placed in contact with said contents, acircuit therefor, means whereby the circuitwill beautomatically closedwhen the air about the pot has reached a predetermined low temperature,and means whereby the heat generated by the burning of the contents ofthe pot will automatically cause the circuit to be opened.

I 3. An electrical igniting means for the contents of a smudge potconsisting of a heating element placed in contact with said contents, acircuit therefor, a switch therein, and thermostat switch operatingmeans con nected in said circuit andoperatively connected'to saidswitch, the thermostat switch being located to be influenced by theburning of the contents of the pot.

t. An electrical igniting means for the contents of smudge potspositioned in spaced relation consisting of heatinge1e-- ments inthepots in contact with the con, tents thereof, a common circuit for allsaid elements, a switch in said circuit,and "a sin gle thermostaticallyoperated means for causing the actuating of said switch,said meansbeinglocated-within the sphere of in- 'fi-uence ofthe direct heat fromthe burning contents of any one of the-pots.

In testimony whereof-we aflix our 'signa- JAMEs M. EVANS. HUGO'MoKINLEY,

